contender

American  

[kuhn-ten-der] / kənˈtɛn dər /

noun

• contenders
  plural

1. a person or group that competes against others to win something; contestant.

   The three remaining contenders for the Democratic Party nomination met for a televised debate.

2. a person or group with a good chance of success in a contest.

   After last season’s disaster, the Texas team needed to convince me they were a contender.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• contenders
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of contender

contend ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

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Explanation

Baseball players, boxers, politicians: each is a contender in that they compete or campaign to win something. Contender has a slightly different meaning than competitor, often implying a more vigorous, even scrappier, sense of taking on every unexpected challenge. The most famous use of contender is Marlon Brando's quote in the film On The Waterfront. Brando plays a once promising boxer whose career has been ruined by a fixed fight. "I coulda been a contender!" Brando cried, implying he could have been the boxer whom everyone wanted to defeat.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

contender contenders

That Eddie Howe is a contender for a job that remains one of the most high-profile in world football isn't hard to fathom.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The Brewers had already shown that they could build a sustainable contender even with their limited resources.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

In the latest informal straw poll held last week to gauge which candidates have a shot of becoming the next UN Secretary General, every contender received an effective veto.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2026

Wilder previously emerged as a contender for Usyk's farewell, but negotiations appear to have stalled.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

It's somewhat surprising that I'm a serious contender for the title of world heavyweight champion, not because I'm slow or weak but because I'm a relative newcomer to the sport.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

McDonagh has delivered responsibly budgeted movies that have so far been commercially successful and critically acclaimed awards contenders.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Eddie Howe and Julian Nagelsmann are emerging as early contenders to become the next Manchester United head coach if Michael Carrick loses his job.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

“With many of the top overall contenders in the adapted category this year, past short-film winner Martin McDonagh could finally earn his first Oscar for a feature,” writes Dave Karger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2026

To be contenders again, they need more than just talent.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2026

As it happened, the death of Alexander unleashed a pack of contenders who spent the next several decades fighting over his legacy.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

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Related Words

• adversary
• challenger
• competition
• contestant
• opponent
• rival

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